"Amma please!" Aparna was trying to reason with her mother on phone, while Chandrika was holding her giggles looking at Aparna's panic and helpless expressions, while munching on Yipee noodles. Varshika was getting ready to the office just like every day, but her wardrobe is not like every day. Chandrika's gaze shifted to Varshika who is in a blue sleeveless Bandini Kurti and black jeans, her wavy hair was down the shoulders, her siren eyes were stroked with kajal and simple vanilla perfume making atmosphere sweet. Her tan skin was shining like diluted honey for the morning sunshine. "Aha...Varu!" Chandrika sighed looking at her.
Varshika smiled at Chandrika through the mirror. "You are my girl crush! Absolutely stunning! How come no guy ever loved you or even try to approach you!", "Chandu? You look beautiful too, even you looked disheveled like that" Varshika chuckled. "Oh yeah, can't take a compliment, need to return it anyway, tsk" Chandrika scoffed. Well, Varshika wasn't wrong though, Chandrika is a like a black rose, her big doe eyes shine like stars when she talks about her fictional crushes, most importantly the dark romance men have her heart, she lives in her own delulu world with all of her darker romance scenarios than in books.
"Agh!" Aparna gritted her teeth, threw her mobile on the table, the attention was shifted to her. "Malli pella?" ("so again, the topic of marriage?") Chandrika raised her brow looking at Aparna's bitter expression. " I am bloody 23! Why the hell, she wants me to marry early? And that universal Telugu mom dialogue;"Ippudu start cheste, neeku pelli ayye sariki 25 vastaye!" (If we start searching for a good match now, you will be married by 25!) Ugh!" Aparna said clearly frustrated on her mother's marriage talks. Because that girl is facing these since she turned twenty, now she has a bitter feeling on marriage and love. "Ayyo!" Chandrika chuckled showing her fake sympathy.
"Hey, it's okay, everything will be fine! don't worry. Just that's classic Indian parental mentality. And by the way, it's for the nth time you are yapping." Chandrika shrugged chillingly. "At this point my brain is not liking even to talk with my mother and I got habituated to your words" Aparna said and her attention went onto curiously at Ritu's laptop screen. "Hey, where is Ritu?" Aparna asked, "She went to a nearby shop for something? Do you need anything?" Varshika replied. "No just.." Aparna intrigued by the visual on the screen of Ritu's laptop. The temple from last night discussions. It was beautiful and dangerous, but something else caught her attention in the picture, a statue somewhere in the background...which is made out of a black stone, bowed down. She can't get a clear glimpse of it, but still..."Appu where are you thinking?" Varshika's voice brought out of the thoughts, she shook her head like nothing and went to pack her bag for the office.
"Are you guys leaving?" Ritu asked the trio, they nodded in unison taking their office bags. "Please think about my plan?" She whined. "Look we will go to Anantha Giri hills for a long weekend, no not your plan included" Chandrika said strictly only to see Ritu's frown and disappointment on bridge of her nose which is more evident with the sliding round glasses. "Chandu?" Varshika's warn followed, "Ritu, let us do one thing, you don't have university today, right? then you have enough research and history of that temple, if it's idealistic, we will go tomorrow morning as our first place to visit, okay?" Varshika said, while Aparna nodded ahead with her words, because she thought.... *Visiting the temple? never happens*, Chandrika groaned internally, and Ritu felt as acceptable. After they left for their works Ritu quickly finished her chores and sat down near the huge window of their shared room with her laptop, books on Indian folk lore and a book about King of Yakshas......Kubera......
By evening she gathered all the minor articles and history around the Temple of Kubera with all her resources, and she was eager to share about it to the other three, with a smile and newfound enthusiasm visible from her almond eyes behind the glasses.
"Nenu naa kaalamantayu...chesina mahapatakamulaku anubhavinchanu anukunnanu kaani, naalo unna oka lakshanamu inkanu..povaledu Eshwara! Andulakena meeru mammula ranvatam ledu?" (I got punished for all of my deadly sins in these years.... but still one thing is left, isn't it Eashwara? That's the reason for your distant behavior?) His voice questioned but he knew one thing for sure, there won't be any replay just like .... but he hoped one day, there will be at least a sign from him....
TO BE CONTINUED.......
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